Life Unravelling
by prouvaires
Summary: My heart stopped, then resumed a stuttering beat. After all, there were plenty of girls with that colour hair. This was just a cruel coincidence." - Flaccus' point of view, read and review!


**This is just in this category until FF puts up a Roman Mysteries one! Enjoy.**

**All in Flaccus' point of view.**

~x~

I squinted against the bright sun as I stepped into the shade o f the large villa. Next to me, Prudentilla clutched at my arm possessively as we moved through the atrium. I winced as her sharp nails dug into my skin.

Without saying a word I detached her grasping hands gently and kept walking. Don't get me wrong, I liked Prudentilla, and our marriage would bring me a great deal of extra income plus several lovely houses, and she was pretty and charming and excellent with children.

The only problem with the whole ghastly set-up was that I was in love with a girl named Flavia Gemina. A dead girl named Flavia Gemina, who had rejected me anyway. Unfortunately, neither her death nor her rejection of my suit could prevent my love for her.

I mused on this as we headed towards the garden. It was making my life rather hard, this pretending that I was dealing absolutely fine with Flavia's death, pretending that my heart wasn't ripped and torn and aching with every beat.

A girl's voice floated towards us through the warm summer air, her words indistinguishable, and I clenched my jaw as the pain threatened to momentarily overwhelm me – she sounded just like Flavia. This often happened to me, my mind playing tricks on me, and usually the agony passed after a moment or two, so I just gritted my teeth and kept walking.

We moved out of the shade and into the blinding brilliance of the sun. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the sudden influx of light. There was Bato, grimly trying to detach a little boy from the corner of his toga, and talking distractedly to a girl with light brown hair. My heart stopped, then resumed a stuttering beat. After all, there were plenty of girls with that colour hair. This was just a cruel coincidence.

"Yes," Bato was saying to the girl, a slight smile on his face. "Gaius Valerius Flaccus is here in Asia. In fact, he's right behind you."

She turned quickly, and I could only gape as her face spun into view. My heart was thudding with disbelief, unsurety and an awful, painful relief. She threw down her straw hat in pure, unadulterated delight and crossed the courtyard at a run. Then she threw her arms around me and pressed her face against my chest and for an instant it was just her and me, and she was there, so close, so vibrant, so _alive._

"Flavia Gemina? Is that really you?"

Then the weight of everything came crashing down on me and, my heart breaking all over again, I took her by the shoulders, ignoring the sparks that flew from my hands, and pushed her away. I looked into her radiant face, and saw the love in her eyes and I could barely form the words.

"We all thought you were … That is …"

I was stuttering like an idiot, aware that what I had to tell her would break her heart, and I knew even as I gestured behind me towards Prudentilla how the sparkle would fade in her lovely grey eyes and how she would try to puzzle out the agony my words brought.

"I'd like you to meet Prudentilla. My sponsa."

Her shining face was transformed in an instant, a strange shadow passing over it and staying there. Her voice was soft with disbelief.

"Your sponsa? Your _sponsa_?"

There was accusation as well as horror written all over her features, and with a spurt of agony I saw the heartbreak in her eyes. I told her everything, because I knew that to drag it out would probably kill the both of us. My voice was bleak, hopeless.

"Yes. Prudentilla is a senator's daughter. We were betrothed in July and we plan to marry in September."

I sensed Prudentilla move forward behind me as Flavia stammered, and I couldn't describe the ocean of grief and agony as her face heated up, and I wanted nothing more than to sweep her up in my arms and tell her that it was all a joke, all a terrible joke.

Jonathon moved forward to distract me and I responded to his greeting with a smile – if I had spoken the tremble in my voice would have betrayed me. I managed to calm myself down enough to greet everyone else, trying not to think about the broken girl in the dusty tunic as I explained why we were there.

"Prudentilla is going to help me look after the kidnapped children. She's very good with children. They love her."

Indeed, the grubby little boy headed straight over to her. She comforted him briefly and I shot her an admiring look, grateful for her competence. And then my head jerked around as Flavia gasped.

She was deathly pale, and her eyes were brimming with sparkling tears.

"Excuse me," she forced out. "I'm just …" then she gulped and fled. I started after her, thinking only of comforting her, because I couldn't bear to see her hurting. But a strong hand shot out and gripped my arm.

"Don't," Jonathon said quietly. "You'll only make things worse." His voice was accusing, and I saw Nubia, the dark-skinned ex-slave-girl, shoot me a look of total betrayal that shook me before heading off to find Flavia.

I sank to the ground.

"What have I done?"


End file.
